Coronavirus

Minnesota State Fair Canceled for 2020

Published

5 years ago

May 22, 2020

The Great Minnesota Get-Together will not be held in 2020.

This was announced Friday following a meeting of the board of managers of the Minnesota State Agricultural Society, which governs the Minnesota State Fair. The event was scheduled for Aug. 27 through Labor Day, Sept. 7.

State Fair General Manager Jerry Hammer said the following in a statement:

“This isn’t a difficult decision. It’s the only decision. Navigating health risks is the most important piece in a very complex situation. In addition, the State Fair’s vast and strong network of partners and thousands of people are facing challenges that seriously hamper their ability to fully participate in the State Fair.

In a normal year, preparing for an event the scale and scope of the Minnesota State Fair is a year-round operation and a mammoth undertaking; in the midst of a global pandemic, it is impossible. While the State Fair is one of many celebrations to go quiet this year, we are looking forward to 2021.

We’re extremely grateful for the understanding and support of everyone who makes the State Fair possible – especially the millions of fair fans from around the globe. Your team of State Fair pros is working hard to come back bigger, better, stronger and smarter in ‘21.”

The Great Minnesota Get-Back-Together is Aug. 26 – Labor Day, Sept. 6, 2021.

2020 gate admission tickets will be valid for the 2021 fair. No action is required. Fair guests can bring their tickets with them and get them scanned at the gate any one day of the 2021 Minnesota State Fair, Aug. 26 – Sept. 6. All of the 2020 Grandstand shows have been postponed to 2021. Concert tickets will be valid for the 2021 date, and seat locations will remain the same. No action is required. New show dates will be announced in the coming weeks and months.

Since its inception, the fair has been held every year with only five exceptions: in 1861 and 1862 due to the Civil War and U.S.-Dakota War, in 1893 because of scheduling conflicts with the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, in 1945 due to federal government travel restrictions during World War II, and in 1946 due to a polio epidemic.

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the largest and best-attended expositions in the world, attracting more than 2 million visitors annually.

Kaitlyn Riley

Kaitlyn Riley’s passion for communications started on her family’s dairy farm in Gays Mills, Wis. Wanting to share agriculture’s story, she studied strategic communications and broadcast journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In college, she held officer positions with the Association of Women in Agriculture and Badger Dairy Club while volunteering as a news reporter for the college radio station. She also founded the university’s first agricultural radio talk show, AgChat. In her professional career, Kaitlyn has worked in radio, print and television news doing everything from covering local events to interviewing presidential candidates, and putting back on her barn boots to chat with farmers in the field. Today, Kaitlyn can be seen covering local stories that matter to you in the La Crosse area.